Presidency Replies Obasanjo, Says His Assessment Of Buhari Administration Not New

By Ismaila Chafe,Abuja

The Presidency on Monday night said the administration of President Muhammad Buhari would not join issues with former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comments on Buhari administration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obasanjo had on Monday while addressing a group of youths who visited him at his country home Abeokuta described the Buhari administration as a failure.

Obasanjo also asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) -led government to stop complaining about the challenges it met on the ground.

“What we have now is failure. Never you reinforce failure, let failure be failure… Those of you who are in business, your business could have been better today if we have a competent and effective and performing government.’’

However, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, who responded to Obasanjo’s comments in a telephone interview on Channels Television on Monday, said the assessment was not new.

“Already, the statement issued few months ago by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, in response to the earlier criticism made against the government by Obasanjo had adequately addressed the issues raised’’.

He maintained that the APC-led Federal Government would keep making reference to the failures of the past administration with a view to guiding against such mistakes in future.

According to Adesina, the Buhari administration has successfully tackled mismanagement of the nation’s economy, as Nigeria now has more savings in its foreign reserve than ever before.

NAN recalls that the former President had earlier issued a 13-page statement, criticising Buhari’s performance and concluded that Buhari should not seek re-election in 2019.

NAN, however, observed that the Obasanjo’s 13-page statement attracted mixed reactions from cross sections of Nigerians, including politicians and opinion leaders from within and outside the countr